From this battle, it was not difficult to see the hierarchy of pets in the Uzumaki household: first Little Hishito, then Ginger Fish Cake, followed by Tonton, and finally Surfer.
Their sizes were precisely the inverse: Little Hishito was the smallest, yet firmly held the top spot, fearless of death. Surfer was the largest, but the most cowardly. This cowardice was relative, however; he dared to approach anyone, then get scared and run off, only to hide and howl at them.
Whenever the two conflicted, Surfer would howl to scare Little Hishito, while Little Hishito preferred action over shouting.
While Naruto considered whether to poison the dog, Jiraiya had already been teleported to the secret room prepared by Tsunade.
There were only three people in the secret room: Tsunade, Kakashi, and Shikamaru Nara. At this moment, the three were frowning deeply, studying something.
As soon as the clone appeared, Tsunade suddenly launched an attack, instantly body-flickering in front of the two clones and throwing both fists.
The clones reacted quickly, solidifying for a moment before instantly teleporting again.
Tsunade's fists passed through the clones and slammed into Jiraiya's face.
"Bang!"
Jiraiya crashed into the wall, and the wall cracked into a spiderweb pattern.
"Not bad, brat, quick enough reaction," Tsunade said to the two clones.
She understood Naruto's teleportation; the moment of solidification was the easiest to strike. As long as her attack was fast enough, if these were clones from a year ago, they would surely have died. But now…
This brat was progressing so fast.
"Why did you hit me?" Jiraiya asked, rubbing his swollen face.
"Sorry, I didn't hold back for a moment." Waving Sakura out, Tsunade shrugged, "Besides, you deserved it."
"Kakashi," Tsunade called out to the lazy fish leaning in the corner with an expression that said this doesn't concern me.
The Hokage had called him by name, so Kakashi had no choice but to explain, "Oh... it's like this..."
"He... blew up Grass Ninja Village?!" Jiraiya exclaimed in shock. This kid... did Minato make a mistake when he picked him up back then? Whose personality is this, blowing up everything he goes to?
"It wasn't exactly blowing up the village, just some buildings."
After he finished speaking, Tsunade asked, "You couldn't even keep an eye on one person, do you think you deserved that punch?"
"What a wicked disciple," Jiraiya sighed, looking up at the ceiling. That punch was truly uncalled for.
Naruto had space-time ninjutsu. Even if he wasn't as fast as Minato, he could use clones to pretend to be the main body. Who could possibly keep an eye on him?
Determined to go back and beat Naruto to vent his anger, Jiraiya asked, "Then what are you all doing?"
"Investigating his motive for doing this," Shikamaru Nara stepped forward to explain for him, then asked, "Has he done anything recently?"
"He learned the Adamantine Sealing Chains from her, but not completely," Jiraiya said, pointing to Karin's data on the table.
Kakashi's expression was a bit unnatural. He remembered his terrifying sensei's wife; that technique for hitting people really hurt...
"So, employment for revenge, then." Shikamaru Nara muttered, stroking his chin. In that case, it makes sense for Sasuke to join as well.
But re-examining the plot, something still felt off. He suddenly slapped his palm. "Then why didn't they take Karin? There must be another reason. Did he tell you anything else?"
"Hmm..." Jiraiya lowered his head, pondering his interactions with Naruto these past few days: teasing cats, walking dogs... and cultivating Immortality while playing with the weasel.
Suddenly, a light bulb went off: "He asked me about the Box of Ultimate Bliss!"
"The Box of Ultimate Bliss!!" x3
All three were well-informed individuals who had heard of such legendary items.
Shikamaru Nara sorted the information: "Meaning, he found out where the Box of Ultimate Bliss is, and then launched this attack. So..." pointing to Karin's data, "His goal is to send her to the location of the Box of Ultimate Bliss!"
"Hozuki Castle Prison," Kakashi said.
"She's at Orochimaru's hideout..." Jiraiya said. He had personally seen Karin replenishing Sasuke's chakra with a clone yesterday.
"Lord Jiraiya, he has space-time ninjutsu," Kakashi reminded him.
Only then did Jiraiya react, gritting his teeth in anger: "That wicked disciple, he actually went to prison and used a clone to deceive me..."
"Hozuki Castle Prison, huh." Tsunade pondered. For such a legendary item with terrifying might, it was fine if it didn't appear, but once it did, Konoha had to intervene and investigate.
Then she waved her hand and said, "Alright, you two go back first. Thank you for your hard work, Shikaku."
After Kakashi and Shikamaru left, Tsunade walked to the wall, punched a hole in it, pulled out a bottle of sake, and handed it to Jiraiya, "Have a couple of drinks with me."
With the beauty's invitation, a favor too great to refuse, Jiraiya took the sake and asked, "What about your work..."
"Send a clone," Tsunade formed a hand seal and released a Shadow Clone. This was also inspired by Naruto. If a clone could substitute for being in prison, why couldn't it substitute for handling documents?
Pouring herself sake, Tsunade drank a full cup. "Hoo... comfortable. I'm telling you, go back and discipline him properly. I can suppress this incident, but I can't guarantee for next time." She pointed underground, "You know, that one..."
Jiraiya knew who she was referring to and refilled her cup. "Hmm, I will. Don't worry, you don't need to worry about that one. His Sage Mode has improved rapidly recently. Barring any accidents, he'll definitely master it before returning to the village. By then, those demons and monsters won't be able to handle him."
"Heh, what good is strength? Have you forgotten the White Fang?"
Jiraiya raised his cup, reminiscing. That was once someone whose talent surpassed their Sannin. He might not have been strong in direct combat, but in assassination, no one in the ninja world could rival him. Unfortunately, he was defeated by politics. "I haven't forgotten, but Naruto is different from him. Rumors, sensationalism? Who are they being spread for?"
"Oh-ho, so you think highly of him?"
"Of course... he's my disciple."
"My disciple isn't any worse than him..." Tsunade also had a good impression of Sakura. At the very least, her ability to learn the Strength of a Hundred Seal was a pleasant surprise.
"Indeed, compared to them, we're all old," Jiraiya swallowed his sake, looking directly at Tsunade, his eyes filled with unspoken emotions.
"Bang!"
"This old hag is still young!"
What was supposed to be a pleasant gathering broke up unhappily due to someone's awkward conversation. Tsunade went back to replace her clone, and Jiraiya teleported back through his oil lantern.
Upon his return, Jiraiya reeked of alcohol, causing Naruto to recoil three feet.
Suddenly, Jiraiya asked, "You're the main body, right?"
"Yeah," Naruto nodded. Why is this perverted old man asking such an odd question?
"Good that you're the main body." Jiraiya swayed closer, then instantly kicked out, "Wicked disciple, prepare to die!"
Naruto reacted quickly, raising his right hand to block, getting kicked back a few steps. Rubbing his sore arm, he demanded, "Perverted old man, are you crazy?"
Why is this old man so heavy-handed when he drinks?
"I'm not crazy, but you are! You've gotten quite strong, haven't you, daring to attack a ninja village. And even exploding their balls." Jiraiya stomped on the ground, cracking it, and kicked towards Naruto's crotch: "Today I'm going to explode yours first!"
Seeing that his secret was out, Naruto pressed down on Jiraiya's leg with both hands, using the force to fly backward. The moment he landed, he took off running.
"Wicked disciple, don't you dare run!"
Only a fool wouldn't run. Seeing Jiraiya pursue, Naruto activated Chán Fēng, and even used Kurama's chakra for acceleration, almost to the point of using Nine-Second Death.
This old man runs pretty fast.
The two sped along, disappearing from sight in a flash.
Surfer's dog face was bewildered, then he nudged Fish Cake with his nose, "Woof woof..."
Translated, it meant: Hey, they don't want us anymore...
Fish Cake swiped back with a paw.
Naruto kept running aimlessly ahead, not worried at all about Jiraiya catching up. At full power, his speed was immense. If Jiraiya couldn't catch him at the start, there was no chance later.
Jiraiya wanted to hit him, and he couldn't fight back. If he did, he'd only have to turn to his still-living senior brothers and sisters, and then... his own fox spirit would be pulled out of the bathtub to live with other beasts.
Not being able to fight doesn't mean I can't run. If you collapse from exhaustion, don't blame me.
Thinking this, Naruto glanced back, then opened a teleportation portal and said to Kurama, "Help me tell the clone in the Land of Snow to go back and bring those little ancestors over."
He wasn't comfortable leaving that group of pets alone there.
The two ran all the way out of the Land of Grass, crossing mountains and great rivers, until they finally reached the seaside, where Jiraiya stopped.
"Hoo... hoo... hoo." Jiraiya collapsed onto the ground, panting like a bellows. Looking at Naruto walking back, he felt depressed. Why does this kid run so fast, and after all this running, you still have energy left?!
Naruto was also panting a bit heavily, taking a few deep breaths to steady himself. "I said, old man, was it really necessary to chase me this far?"
He didn't even know where they had run to, only that the surroundings became increasingly desolate, the soil and rocks more weathered, only getting better near the sea.
"Hoo... hoo..." Jiraiya gave him a glare, too out of breath to speak.
Naruto gave him a sofa to rest on, then took out a teacup, heated it with chakra, and placed it on the table. "Catch your breath first, then drink."
He was afraid the old man would choke to death from drinking water while heavily panting.
Jiraiya picked up the teacup, feeling its warmth. This kid, when he's sensible, he's truly sensible; he considers even the smallest details so clearly. But when it comes to being infuriating...
He watched Naruto leaning on the table, writing in red ink on a piece of paper: "Konoha Year 62, September 10th. Grass Ninjas were inhumane, enslaving women. I happened to pass by, acting righteously, and burst their eggs, severing their lineage. Alas, the incident had a major impact. Consequently, Jiraiya wants to kick my balls. This grudge, I've noted it."
—Uzumaki Naruto.
He's truly infuriating!
Did I really intend to kick you?! Jiraiya choked, his oxygen-deprived brain suffering from insufficient blood supply, and his vision went black.
As dusk fell, Jiraiya slowly opened his eyes, finding himself lying in a small hut, a warm towel draped over his head, and a blanket tucked snugly around him.
Taking off the towel, he looked at Naruto before him, a mix of emotions in his heart. This child has no major flaws, but an endless stream of minor ones. He makes you love him and hate him at the same time, especially his trouble-making ability, which gets worse each time...
Jiraiya wiped his face and quietly called out, "Naruto."
"Hmm?"
Jiraiya felt that with Naruto's knack for causing trouble, he would eventually be unable to bear it. It was better to give him a preemptive warning: "I ask nothing else of you, Disciple, except that if you ever cause trouble in the future, don't mention your master..."
Naruto closed his sealing jutsu textbook and smiled, "Mmm, got it."
I'm not going to compare masters with anyone, why would I use your name? Besides, I always use fake identities when I cause trouble, alright?
"Smack!" Jiraiya slapped the towel directly onto his face.
You're better off not understanding anything!
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